Why Was Wynonna Judd’s Daughter, Grace Kelley, in Jail?

NBC’s The Voice Season 24 features country superstar Wynonna Judd as the Mega Mentor during Knockout week. We love seeing Judd in the spotlight, as she’s an icon — and she’ll certainly help her friend, Reba McEntire, with the upcoming weeks. Unfortunately, Judd’s daughter, Grace Kelley, was in jail in 2023 after being released from prison in 2022. Here’s why.

Why was Wynonna Judd’s daughter, Grace Kelley, in jail in 2023?

Wynonna Judd’s daughter, Grace Kelley, is known for her legal troubles. She was arrested in June 2016 and charged in 2017 for methamphetamine manufacture, delivery, sale, and possession with intent. At the time, she was sentenced to 11 months in jail, but the sentence was suspended. She then could serve the sentence on probation after spending 30 days in jail. By June 2017, she continued the sentence at a court-ordered drug recovery program. However, by 2018, she was sentenced to eight years at the West Tennessee State Penitentiary due to breaking probation. In November 2019, she was granted parole and released five years early.

Kelley’s troubles didn’t end there. She was brought back to jail in 2020 for another probation violation and was sentenced to another eight years with a release date of April 30, 2028. In April 2021, she was given parole as long as she continued substance abuse treatment, substance abuse aftercare referrals, and drug screens at random.

Again, Kelley violated the rules of her probation and was arrested in August 2021. She was then released to a halfway house with parole supervision in December 2022.

So, what happened in 2023? Judd’s daughter was arrested on May 1, 2023, for violating an order of protection/restraining order and violation of parole. Her new release date was set for Oct. 19, 2023. 

Grace Kelley was pregnant while behind bars

To make matters more complicated for Wynonna Judd’s daughter, Grace Kelley was reportedly pregnant in 2022 while behind bars. She requested a furlough due to the circumstances, which a Tennessee judge granted.

Florence Fort, a fellow inmate, spoke to The Sun about the circumstances. “Grace got pregnant when she was out on parole,” Fort shared. “When I was at the jail with her, she was pregnant. She had her baby’s name picked out. She was excited.”

The inmate also noted that Kelley wanted to keep her mom involved. “She would call Wynonna all the time,” she added. “She talked to her mom a lot. We even gave her a baby shower in jail, and her mom called in the middle of it.”

Wynonna Judd says her daughter is the ‘strongest Judd woman’ in the family

Wynonna Judd and her daughter, Grace Kelley, maintain a good relationship despite Kelley’s legal troubles. Judd spoke to Fox Nation about her kids.

“I’m no different than anyone else,” Judd explained, “I’ve got kids who have made great successful choices. … I will tell you this. My daughter is the strongest Judd woman in our ‘herstory.'” She added that Kelley is “healthier” than she was at 23 years old. And the country star noted that she could have easily gone down her daughter’s same path if she didn’t have music in her life.

This story was originally reported by The Sun.

How to get help: In the U.S., contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration helpline at 1-800-662-4357.

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